Материал: Гвоздева Пхысицс фор адванцед студентс 2011
Part III. MODERN PHYSICS
UNIT 1
ATOMIC PHYSICS
FYI
‘Atomon’ is the Greek for undivided.
PRE-READING TASK
I one(s) is used to refer to a thing(s) that has been mentioned before.
Study the sentences.
1 The shift from a Newtonian cosmology to an Einsteinium one is presently taking place in human understanding.
2.The universe started as a mathematical point and then there was a big explosion. The spiral nebulae, the most distant objects in the sky, are the ones that were shot out fastest and have gone the farthest from us.
3.New problems couldn’t be solved by old methods and required radically new ones.
II that (those) is used to refer to a thing(s) that has been mentioned before.
Study the sentences.
1.The Mar’s axis is tilted to a similar degree as that of Earth.
2.The difference between the classical physics and the modern one is that between logical and illogical physics.
3.The key physical properties of Mars are remarkably similar to those of Earth.
III. S + appears + to V = Russian – Кажется, что; Оказывается,
что + S
Study the sentence.
What we see appears to result from happenings in a region where
laws are still unknown.
IV. We use is, are, was, were + to V (to be + V3) to say that something is planned to happen.
Study the sentences.
1. Observation disturbs the things which are to be observed.
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2. We must find out what happens at these energies if we are to understand how we and the universe began.
3 “Humanity needs a substantially new way of thinking if it is to survive.” (Einstein)
Give Russian correspondence:
rather than (instead of), from (on the basis of), plenty of (lots of), moreover (more than that), a number of (a set of, a range of), so (thus), to result from (to be caused by), because of (due to), continuously (nonstop), via (through, by means of), although (though)
LOGICAL AND ILLOGICAL PHYSICS
“Modern physics deals with probabilities.”
Edenton
Study the passage. Mind the underlined grammar points.
The difference between the classical physics and the modern one can be explained quite simply. The difference is that between logical and illogical physics. Classical physics deals with physical phenomena in a direct rather than a mathematical sense. Physics is a consistent scheme that allows getting predictable results from the measurements of physical experience. The validity of a theory rests on its ability to predict the results of experiments correctly. But the trouble was that the experimental side of science was lagging behind the theoretical. There were plenty of problems over the horizon and these problems could not be solved by the old methods but required radically new ones.
The new world of atomic physics can’t be fitted into the mechanical models of the 19th century or, indeed, into any model which could be visualized. Physicists have met the situation by abandoning the use of concrete models, and started to express the results in mathematical equations. Moreover, these equations express only statistical averages or probabilities. We cannot say when any radioactive atom will explode. All we know is that in any time interval a number of atoms will explode.
So, the universe can’t be regarded as completely unknown; what we see appears to result from happenings in a region where the laws are still unknown, and, may be unknowable because of the crudity of our instruments and the fact, as Heisenberg pointed out, that there are some
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things we can’t know because at the atomic level the fact of observation disturbs the things which are to be observed.
J. Butler, professor of Chemical Physics in the University of London
Vocabulary Notes
1.to rest on – to be based on
2.to lag behind – to progress more slowly
3.to visualize – to imagine – to make a mental picture
4.a crudity – simplicity
5.to disturb – (here) to change
POST-READING TASK
(To be done at home in writing) I. Give your interpretations.
1.Logical physics
2.Illogical physics
3Physics
4.A valid theory
II. Answer the question.
Why can’t physicists discover all the laws?
III. Translate the sentences. Compare your variant of translation with the original sentences and correct mistakes, if any.
Choose the correct verb: to lag behind, to abandon, to predict, to rest on, to deal with, to express, to explain, to be fitted into
1.Как можно объяснить разницу между классической физикой и современной?
2.Классическая физика изучает физические явления непосредственно.
3.Правильность теории основывается на её способности правильно прогнозировать результаты эксперимента.
4.Экспериментальный аспект науки отставал от теоретического аспекта.
5.Явления атомной физики не вписываются в рамки модели.
6.Физики отказались от использования конкретных моделей.
7.Современные физики выражают результаты экспериментов математическими уравнениями.
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CLASS EXERCISES
Exercise 1 (do it yourself, then check up the completed sentences in groups.)
Complete the sentences.
1.The difference between the classical physics and the modern one
……… quite simply.
2.The difference … that … logical … illogical physics
3.Classical physics …….. physical phenomena …. a direct sense
4.Modern physics …… physical phenomena … a mathematical
sense
5.Physics …. a consistent scheme that allows getting … results from the measurements of ……
6.The validity of a theory ….. its ability to predict the results of experiments ……
7.The trouble … that the experimental side of science ……. the theoretical.
8.New problems ……. by the old methods
9.They …. radically new methods.
10.Physicists started to express the results in …. …
11.Modern physics … .. probabilities.
THE ATOMISTIC STRUCTURE OF MATTER
FYI
a nucleus (sing) – nuclei (pl)
Run through the passage and do the exercise that follows.
There are only 100 different kinds of atoms in the entire universe. Everything we see is made up of those 100 atoms in an unlimited number of combinations. How these atoms are arranged and bonded together determines whether the atoms make up a cup of water, a piece of metal, or the fizz that comes out of your soda can?
Atoms are in constant motion. They continuously vibrate, move and rotate. Atoms can be in different states of excitation. In other words, they can have different energies. If we apply some energy to an atom, it can leave what is called the ground state energy level and go to an ex-
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cited one. The level of excitation depends on the amount of energy that is applied to the atom via heat, light, or electricity.
This simple atom consists of a nucleus (containing protons and neutrons) and an electron cloud. It is helpful to think of the electrons as circling in many different orbits. Although more modern views of the atom do not describe discrete orbits for the electrons, it can be useful to think of these orbits as different energy levels of the atom. In other words, if we apply some heat to an atom, we might expect that some of the electrons on the lower energy level would transit to a higher energy orbit.
Vocabulary Notes
1.to arrange – to organize
2.a can – a tin, a metal container
3.to extend – to widen
4.a bond – a link – a connection
Exercise 2
Explain in other words.
1.Atoms are in constant motion
2.Atoms can be in different states of excitation
3.Discrete electron orbits
UNIT 2
A CHANCE TO LOOK INSIDE
PRE-READING TASK
I. We use two variants.
1.It was found that the nucleus was composed of the so-called elementary particles.
2.The nucleus was found to be composed of the so-called elementary particles.
We also use these structures with:
is thought; is believed; is supposed; is expected; is considered (считают, полагают)
is said (говорят); is known (известно) is proved (доказано)
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